Summary
This study presents gap-free, haplotype-resolved genomes of autotetraploid Indian jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana) from both wild and cultivated forms, enabling comprehensive investigation of polyploid evolution and crop domestication. Through pan-genome analysis and population resequencing of 73 accessions, the authors identified genetic changes associated with domestication, particularly elucidating the molecular basis of astringency loss in cultivated fruits via metabolomic and transcriptomic characterisation. The findings provide substantial genetic resources and mechanistic understanding of polyploid crop evolution relevant to future breeding and crop improvement.
UK applicability
As Indian jujube is not a commercial crop in the United Kingdom, the direct agronomic applicability is limited. However, the methodological approach of combining gap-free genome assembly with population genomics and metabolomics may inform domestication studies of other polyploid fruit crops or heritage varieties with potential UK cultivation.
Key measures
Structural variation hotspots, presence-absence variation, centromere structures, population genetic differentiation (FST), fruit metabolome composition, gene expression profiles
Outcomes reported
The study generated telomere-to-telomere haplotype-resolved genomes of wild and cultivated Indian jujube and used metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses to identify genetic basis for loss of fruit astringency during domestication. Population structure and domestication trajectory were characterised through resequencing of 73 wild and cultivated accessions.
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